[0:00] If you all would, go ahead and open up your Bibles with me to Romans 15.
[0:19] ! Romans chapter 15. We're going to be looking at verses 1-7 today. Now, the last couple of sermons that Pastor Mike has been preaching through the book of Hebrews have been on the need for spiritual growth. I've really enjoyed these sermons. They've been very practical. They've been very pointed with the believer to continue to grow, to move on past the elementary things of the faith, and to grow in your knowledge and your desire for the Lord.
[0:46] Now, today what we're going to be looking at is what that looks like in the context of relationships with other believers within the church. Now, one of the opportunities I had when I was growing up, I had the opportunity to study and grow up in a very good martial arts school. My instructor was a very godly man. He loved the Lord. He loved his family well, and he took his job really seriously.
[1:12] But one of the things that made this so special and work so well was the relationship that he fostered between the advanced and the mature students and the younger and the beginning students.
[1:25] In other words, what he would do with every single person that came into the school is that you knew that at some point you were going to have to teach what you had learned to the younger generation in that school. You were going to have to help bring up the newer students. So what this did was this brought about this environment of patience and understanding. The mature students that were in our school, they would always take the younger students to the side and teach them. They would always take them to the side and show them the correct and proper way to do things in martial arts. And it was a blessing to be a part of that. And in our text today, we see that Paul is kind of nearing the end of his letter to the Romans, and he's trying to impart to them some final instructions on how to live well together as a church. You see this in a lot of his letters. There's a lot of application. There's a lot of doctrine. And then at the end, he always kind of brings it home with saying, okay, so this is how you apply this in your church. This is how you come together as a body of believers and apply these things that I have taught you. Now, Paul is writing to real people with real relationships issues coming together as a church. And if there's one thing that we know about human relationships, it's sometimes they can be messy. Sometimes they don't always go that smoothly. We can allow things to divide us that shouldn't. And one of the dividing factors in the church at Rome at this point that we see Paul addressing is mature believers, believers that have been doing this a while, that have been advanced in their faith. And then you see newer believers all coming together in the same congregation.
[3:14] So you've got people here that are coming out of Judaism in particular. This is kind of what we see Paul addressing in most of his letters. You've got people coming out of Judaism, but you also have people coming out of pagan backgrounds as well. So with this, with this host of new believers mixed in with these mature believers, you've got doctrinal issues. You've got sin issues that haven't quite been tackled yet. You're dealing with Jews coming out of legalistic backgrounds and you're dealing with pagans. Yes, that some habits die hard with. So Paul is trying to teach them that this is how you function together as believers on different levels of maturity. And in our own church, we also have the same relationship dynamic. At Highland Park, we have people on different ends of the spectrum in their journey of faith. And you know what? That is a blessing. We've got new believers. We've got people that are still figuring all of this out. And then we've also got people that have been believers longer than I've been alive. And that is a blessing to have that mix in the congregation of people coming together to worship the same Savior that are on the same journey of sanctification that is one day going to lead to glorification. That is a blessing to be a part of. So what we're going to look at today is how do mature believers bear with the weaknesses of newer believers? And also newer believers, how are you supposed to respond to this news as well? So with that in mind, I want to read our text today. If y'all would stand as we read God's word together. Romans 15, starting in verse one.
[5:00] We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to build him up. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God. This is the word of the Lord.
[5:56] You all may have a seat. It's like many of the early churches and many of our churches today, there were a lot of conflicts that centered around debatable issues that really didn't have an effect on salvation. And much of it stemmed from cultural backgrounds. At least in this instance, it did. And in this case, it has to do with Jewish culture and religion. They were worshiping Jesus.
[6:29] They were depending on him for salvation, but they were also doing that while also trying to hold to their old Jewish customs. So you've got people that are holding to dietary laws. You've got people that are giving special regard and attention to certain days of the year. You've got them that are doing these ritual cleansings and washings and all of these things. And while these things don't add to salvation, Paul also recognizes these aren't necessarily sinful issues that they are dealing with either. Sometimes these things are just cultural. Sometimes these things are just things that they are doing because this is what they have done for so long. And it's not really a sinful issue for them to be doing those things. But also, he doesn't condone these things either. You also notice that Paul uses the phrase, those that are weaker, to bear with the failings of those who are weak. So he doesn't condone these things either. He doesn't give credit to them, but he also doesn't tear down these immature believers as well. That's why he is urging patience on the side of those that are mature in their faith.
[7:44] Those that have been believers longer, he is urging patience and understanding, forbearance with these believers. As a matter of fact, in Romans 14, I want to go back one chapter here in verses 13 through 23. He gives the same advice, again, just a little bit differently.
[8:00] It says, It says,
[9:01] It says, So again, in this congregation that we are reading about in the church at Rome, there's believers on all ends of the spectrum. There's mature believers that have learned to follow Christ without these things that they were holding to, and there are immature believers that are still learning what that means. And so the main idea from our text is this, The mature in faith, the mature in faith have the responsibility of bearing with the immature in faith.
[10:11] And that is not something that comes naturally. Otherwise, Paul wouldn't be writing about it to this church. Many times, a lot of us that we just, sometimes we just want to say, catch up already.
[10:22] You know, get with the picture. But that's not what Paul is urging here. That's not what God's word teaches. That's not what Jesus Christ did for us. So from our text today, we're going to see four instructions that are given to the mature believers. Now, while these are instructions for mature believers, I also want to point out that there is a response here for those that are new believers as well. Because remember, when Paul wrote this letter, and when it was being read to the church, the new believers were hearing this too.
[10:57] So how are you going to respond to this text today? We're going to cover all of that. But first, the first set of instructions that we see in verses one and two is that you need to build up the immature in faith. You need to build up the immature in faith. As believers, we have the responsibility of bearing with and building up the weak. Now, notice what Paul is doing here. He's not condoning or elevating the immature believer by what they are doing, because the things they are holding on to, they're not matters of faith and righteousness. But rather, Paul is instructing the mature on how to interact, how to build up, how to bear with and be patient with these new believers.
[11:38] He's not instructing the mature on how to tear them down. He's not teaching them how to back the immature believers up into a logical corner, but rather how to be patient and understanding with them as they grow on their faith journey. Practically speaking, there's three ways that we can do this as mature believers. And the first one is this, from Romans 14, one, avoid arguments over trivial things.
[12:05] Avoid arguments over trivial things. In 14, one, it says, as for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.
[12:21] You know, a good application of this for mature believers is don't be a theological rage bader. Don't try to pick fights with people over theological issues that don't really pertain to salvation.
[12:36] Now, obviously, if a brother or sister is believing something that contradicts the Bible, if they are believing something that goes against salvation, then yes, we need to step in.
[12:48] We need to correct that. But a lot of times, what we see with people whenever they start gaining theological knowledge is they become pretty inflated. They can pick fights. They can decide, you know what, I don't agree with that, so I'm going to try to tear this person down, pick his arguments apart, and just beat him into submission into my line of thinking.
[13:09] That is not the way discipleship works. Listen, good theology, applied correctly, should do two things. It should humble us, and it should exalt Christ. If it's not doing those two things, you are not applying good theology correctly. And in a congregation of 250 people like we have here, there's going to be disagreements. There's going to be things that we don't necessarily agree on, but that doesn't mean that we are not unified. It can be tempting to major on the minor things rather than let the major things unite us. For instance, I don't expect every new believer, or even every mature believer, to agree on every single point of Reformed theology.
[13:58] Are you a dispensationalist? Are you a covenant theologian? Are you a premillennial or amillennial? Are you a cessationist or continuationist? All of these things aren't unimportant because they're in the scripture, but these aren't things that should divide us in light of everything that Christ has given to unite us. So for those who are mature in the faith, we have the responsibility to bear with those who are new in the faith, that are still getting all their ducks in a row theologically and belief-wise.
[14:29] Because guess what? When you're saved, God doesn't necessarily just hit a download button on your brain and inject the whole Bible into your brain overnight. It'd be great if he did that.
[14:41] It'd be a huge blessing. But that's not the way that it works. Now, this is an opportunity where we as mature believers, we can come alongside those. We can teach them. We can show them from God's word and we can teach them how to find the right answers for themselves from God's word. It is a privilege to be able to do that as a believer. To be able to impart what God has given to you to someone else, that is a privilege. It's not a burden. It's not an obstacle.
[15:13] That is something that God has blessed us with the opportunity to do. So seasoned believers, don't see immature believers as an obstacle or a hurdle that you need to tear down or walk over. And don't see them as an interruption either to your church experience.
[15:33] We are blessed at this church to have Christians at all stages of their journey. New believers, they will benefit from the knowledge of the experienced. And seasoned believers, you will grow in your faith as you pass it on. You will grow in your faith as you fulfill that great commission to go and make disciples. We are a gift to each other in this church. Now, the next set of instructions here that Paul gives us in interacting with unbelievers is to encourage each other in good works. Encourage each other in good works. Hebrews 10 24 says, and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.
[16:19] Now, first of all, this has to start with the Holy Spirit. All right. If you do not have the Holy Spirit that is leading and directing you, that has regenerated you, then everything I've said up to this point, it doesn't matter. Okay. The Holy Spirit is the one that starts all this, but good works, good works are a product of genuine faith. And it takes instruction to learn how to apply the theological knowledge of the stuff that you are learning from the Bible to good works. Listen, gaining knowledge is great. It's important. We should take every opportunity to do these things. But sometimes it takes a mature believer coming alongside someone and saying, okay, this is how you live that out.
[17:02] This is what that looks like in this instance as a husband. This is what this looks like as a parent. This is what this looks like in the context of your relationships that you have in school.
[17:14] It takes experience sometimes to learn how to do that. When I was in college, I had to take this class called music theory. I don't know if any of you, I hear a couple of groans already. I was not good at music theory. It was a very humbling class, for me. But music theory, it wasn't practicing. It wasn't learning an instrument. It was book work.
[17:38] You were reading a book. You were learning how harmonies were structured. You were learning how different notes, different pitches, different intervals interacted together. And I learned all these different scales and terms, most of which I cannot remember now to save my life.
[17:52] But where the rubber really started meeting the road for me was in the practice room. Whenever I began to see these things come to life on the piano, or when I was practicing my horn, all of a sudden, the theory and the knowledge I was gaining became action. It became something that I was applying in my everyday practices. In the same way, new believers, sometimes you all need help with that. And mature believers, you have the responsibility of taking up that mantle, of showing these people how they're going to live out their faith. A beautiful example of this was Titus chapter two. If you get a chance to just go back and read that yourself, but just to summarize it, again, Paul is giving a similar set of instructions to the church at Crete. And he's telling the older women, take the younger women, teach them how to love their husbands, teach them how to be good homemakers, teach them how to do these things for the glory of God. And he gives instruction to older men to basically do the same thing. Take the younger men, teach them how to be men of godly character, to be leaders in their home and in the church.
[19:04] And part of this mentoring relationship that Paul keeps talking about in our text today, and also in Titus is holding each other accountable to sin. And this is a third set of instructions and ways that we can kind of interact with each other. Accountability for sin.
[19:24] Galatians 6 verses 1 through 2 say this, Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness.
[19:38] Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Now I want to draw a distinction here between bearing with sin and affirming sin.
[19:53] We've seen this word bear in our text today and in Galatians, and you see it in other letters that Paul has written too. Bearing with someone's sin means this. It means that when you see someone in sin, you're not just going to cast them out.
[20:08] You're not just going to cut them off. Instead, what you're going to do is come alongside that person. You're going to show them and instruct them from God's word and show them their sin from the final authority, the only authority that we have.
[20:23] And you're going to seek to restore them, to bring them back to a path of obedience, to where they're walking again in a loving relationship with the Lord. That's church discipline.
[20:36] But many believers think that the correct path is to lovingly just turn a blind eye to sin. They think that, well, in the name of no judgments here, we're just not going to talk about someone's sin because, you know, sin is something that we all struggle with, so who am I to bring up somebody else's problems?
[20:54] That is not what we see from Scripture. Those are not the instructions that we've ever received. No, we have been given the truth so that we can live the truth and so that we can point out the truth in other people's lives.
[21:07] Listen, if you are a true believer, the greatest act of love that somebody can do for you if you believe that sin leads to death, which it does according to Scripture, but if you truly believe that, then the greatest act of love is to call out sin in a believer's life, to call them to repentance, to call them back to obedience to the Lord.
[21:27] Now for the immature in faith here. Remember, Paul is giving these instructions to mature believers, but like I said earlier, everyone's listening to this letter being read.
[21:39] Those that are new in the faith, those that have been in the faith for a while, everyone is hearing this. So what should your response be to these instructions that Paul has given to the mature?
[21:56] I think a fitting response here is that we should never let pride get in the way of benefiting from someone else's knowledge, from someone else's wisdom, from their knowledge of God's word.
[22:10] 1 Peter 5, verses 5 through 6. It says, Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.
[22:24] Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that at the proper time, he may exalt you. Your response to this is similar to what we've been hearing the last couple of weeks from Mike's sermons, and that is to grow, to pursue spiritual growth.
[22:43] Don't become fortified with pride. Look around you. Who are those that are mature in faith that could be investing in you? Who are those that you could follow?
[22:58] Another important part of this is that you need to be actively involved in a church. You cannot benefit from the body of Christ if you are only marginally involved in it.
[23:09] I say this as a warning just because I've seen this before. A lot of times when new believers come to the faith, they don't ever get actively involved in a church. They'll maybe come every other week or so on a Sunday morning, come to worship, but that's it.
[23:24] You are not going to benefit from the relationships that you can form in a church if that's all you are doing. So get involved in a Sunday school class. Come to a community group. Come to fellowships.
[23:36] Place yourself in the paths of wise people and benefit from their experience and knowledge. Now the second point that we're going to look at today, for the mature, if you are wanting to be that person that every new believer can look up to and as Paul would say, you know, to follow me as I am following Christ or to imitate me as I am imitating Christ.
[24:03] If you're wanting to be that person, the second point here is for you. You need to follow Christ's example. You need to follow Christ's example.
[24:18] Paul is calling on the Roman believers to look at the example of Christ, to look at what he has laid out for them. What did Christ do? How did he bear with our weaknesses?
[24:31] If Christ has borne contempt on our behalf, if he has suffered so greatly to save and establish his church, then there should be no condemnation between brothers and sisters in Christ.
[24:45] We should seek to humble ourselves in the same way that Christ did for us. You know, in verse 3, I just want to read this again. For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me.
[25:03] So again, Paul is calling the church to look back to Christ and he does this in other letters that he has written to. Because Christ is our aim. In Philippians chapter 2, verses 1 through 8, it says, So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
[25:32] Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interest, but also to the interest of others.
[25:45] Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ. And here Paul is again encouraging, look to Christ. Who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God as a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form.
[26:07] He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. For our salvation, Christ humbled himself more than we will ever humble ourselves for somebody else in our lives.
[26:23] He is the greatest example of humility and what it means to look out for the needs of those in need. We will never attain that level of humility that he showed for us on the cross, but we can pursue that humility in every area of our life in the way that we interact with those that are around us.
[26:42] So mature believers, what are the needs of those that are around you? What are the needs of the newer believers? How can you help them grow in their faith?
[26:53] How can you help them along on their sanctification journey? Be patient with their failings. Be diligent with loving correction from God's word.
[27:08] And know that just as the humility of Christ was for your benefit, your progress in your faith is also for the benefit of others that are around you. Ephesians 4, 11-17 says, And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness and deceitful schemes, but rather speaking the truth in love.
[27:58] We are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. So just as Christ is our aim, we have the responsibility to point others towards that same aim, towards that same example.
[28:16] That's what we're all growing into. And like Paul, you want to be the kind of disciple makers that can confidently tell a new believer, imitate me as I'm imitating Christ.
[28:29] It doesn't mean that you're going to be perfect. It doesn't mean that you're going to get it right all the time. Part of following Christ is repenting when we sin. And you know what? New believers need to see that as well. My children, they know that I am not a perfect father.
[28:45] They know that I make mistakes. But one of the things that I want my children to see in me is that I need Jesus just as much as they do. So I want them to see me repent.
[28:56] And you know what? Newer believers need to see mature believers repent too. So inviting others to imitate you, that does not mean that you're going to be perfect.
[29:06] But that does mean that you are going to be a constant example of what it means to faithfully follow Christ in obedience and yes, in repentance sometimes too. And the third set of instructions that Paul gives for the mature believers in verses 4 through 6 says you need to remain focused on God's glory.
[29:26] You need to remain focused on God's glory. Now how do we remain focused on the glory of God in situations like this? I mean we're talking about relationships, we're talking about patience.
[29:42] People can be complicated. relationships, they do get messy at times. When situations where there can be so many worldly things that can tear us apart, our strength and our focus needs to be on heavenly things.
[29:58] The first heavenly thing that we're going to look at, the heavenly source of encouragement and endurance, we glorify God in this through his word. I want to read verse 4 again to you. It says, for whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the scriptures, we might have hope.
[30:23] So in this church at Rome, you have people trying to live on two different sides of the covenant here. You've got some who have come to Christ that have advanced in their faith and they really have zero issues with casting off the old things like the dietary laws, the special holidays, the ceremonial washings.
[30:41] They really don't have any tie to those things anymore but also you have the immature believers that are still holding to these things because maybe they haven't gotten to that point yet where they see how Jesus has fulfilled all of these laws and all of these customs.
[30:56] They haven't quite gotten to that point yet. So Paul brings them back to something that is foundational, something that is true, something that doesn't change and that is God's word.
[31:12] The ceremonial laws, the sacrificial laws, all these things have been fulfilled in Christ but the moral laws of God never change because God's character never changes.
[31:24] 2 Timothy 3, 16 and 17, all scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
[31:39] So whatever New Testament writings they may have had at this point and all the Old Testament writings that they had at this point, all of it is inspired by God. The truth within God's word should lead us to a unifying love for the Lord and for each other as we're all on the same journey together.
[32:00] Whether that is patience and care from the mature or an aspiration on the new believers to reach maturity, we all have a unified love and a unified pursuit of the same Savior.
[32:13] Now we glorify God and this as well by remaining focused on the shared hope that we have, the shared hope that we receive from the promises in God's word.
[32:26] Psalm 119 verse 81, David wrote this, my soul longs for your salvation. I hope in your word. David hoped and longed for the salvation of God.
[32:40] Where does it say that he put all that hope in that stock? Where did he draw it from? From the word of the Lord. Shared hope is such a unifying force in the church.
[32:52] And we read and study the word together. Every believer should be reminded that there is a God who has provided salvation for us in a way that we never could for ourselves.
[33:04] And that one day that salvation will lead to all of us being glorified. The only hope that we have for the suffering in this life is the promise of eternal life with God one day.
[33:17] It's something that we all look forward to. The saints that I've gotten to be by as they passed into eternal life have left the biggest impression on my life.
[33:30] I can remember being with some and almost feeling a sort of righteous envy that they are now face to face with Christ. Their journey of faith is now complete.
[33:42] And they're receiving their reward and I begin to feel joy for them. I grieve their absence. But I can't help but celebrate the completion of their journey.
[33:53] The same journey that I am on. The same journey that all of us are on. And one day we'll be in the same destination together. finally we hear Paul talk about God being a God of endurance and encouragement.
[34:09] We need that otherworldly endurance and encouragement. Because you know what the world doesn't give us much to celebrate sometimes. Especially in the realm of relationships. When things are going wrong.
[34:22] When things are ever changing. We need grace and endurance from a source that does not change. Our endurance our encouragement it's ultimately found in Christ.
[34:33] He is our peace. So for the mature in here never take your eyes off Christ. Never lose focus on the truth that it is his glory that is being exalted in our relationships.
[34:49] He is the one we are all supposed to be aiming at. He is the one that has saved us through his blood. And this brings up the last set of instructions. that you need to remember that Jesus once welcomed you.
[35:08] In verse seven does therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.
[35:20] We welcome new believers in their faith because that is what Jesus once did for us. mercy should best be given by those that have received mercy.
[35:35] Dietrich Bonhoeffer said this that judging others makes us blind whereas love is illuminating. By judging others we blind ourselves to our own evil and to the grace which others are just as entitled to as we are.
[35:53] Listen, at one time all of us were lost. We were all in desperate need of salvation and in a position to be righteously judged by God but instead of receiving that judgment, instead of receiving that wrath, God had different plans.
[36:12] Romans 5 6, for while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. so while you were still weak, while I was still weak, not when we finally reached this certain point, not when we were finally good enough for God to take notice of us, no, while we were still weak, lost in our sins, that's when Christ died for us.
[36:46] We are all where we are right now, only because of the grace of Christ, only because of what he has done for us. The debt of our sins was lifted by the down payment of a perfect savior.
[36:59] So don't ever believe that lie that somehow at some point you became worthy enough for God to save you. Because that's not the way it works. That's not grace, that's not the way salvation is explained in the Bible.
[37:11] The gospel is the victory cry of every true believer. To everyone who is part of the body of Christ the gospel truth is that Jesus had to die for you to redeem you and make you right with God.
[37:24] May that be the truth that constantly humbles us, that constantly puts all of us to the same level, on the same righteous pursuit that will be completed one day by Christ himself in glory.
[37:41] The main application that we're going to look at today is this. bear with and build one another up in Christ. Bear with and build one another up in Christ.
[37:53] As we've looked through this text today, I hope that as the mature believers in the room, you have been encouraged and challenged to see the new believers among you as opportunities to invest in rather than barriers to overcome.
[38:07] to be patient with failings because as all of us are well aware, sin does not die without a fight and we never stop struggling with sin.
[38:19] It's going to look different depending on where you are in your life, where you are in your journey of sanctification, but we never stop struggling with sin. The progressive journey of sanctification is just that.
[38:32] It's progressive. It's not always going to be a straight shot up either. And when you hit those bumps in the road, when you see others doing that, come alongside them.
[38:44] Remember that you were once in their shoes too. Don't argue about the trivial things in their lives, but bear with them in their struggle with sin. Don't let your own presumptions and opinions be the measure that you hold them to.
[38:57] Let God's word be the final authority in their life and in how you measure them because that is how you need to be measuring yourself. And this is not something that we do for any other reason than to see Christ exalted in the lives of individuals and in the church as a whole.
[39:14] Now for new believers, for those that are still young in their faith, I want to encourage you with this. Come to church with your questions. Don't be afraid to ask questions.
[39:27] Don't be afraid to stop the Sunday school teacher in the middle of their lessons and ask your questions. questions. Don't be afraid to stop an elder or one of the pastors in the hallway and ask your questions or to call us during the week at the office.
[39:40] We want your questions. They are welcomed here. That's how you grow. Questions, honestly, that's part of what it means to be a limited person worshiping a limitless God.
[39:54] We're never going to know everything about him. All of us still have questions. So come with your questions. Also, if you are struggling with sin, if you are somebody that finds yourself trapped in a sin, then come.
[40:07] Come with that too. Be honest. Find a believer that you trust. Find somebody that you know is going to point you to Christ, that is going to hold you accountable to God's word.
[40:18] That's what it means to bear one another's burdens. The most advantageous place for Satan to have you is by yourself.
[40:29] So don't remain alone in your struggle with sin. Now for the unbelievers that are here today, I want you to know that your questions and your presence, they are welcome here too.
[40:43] If you don't understand something or maybe you just flat out don't believe, come and talk to us. We're not offended by, we're not threatened by your doubts and your questions.
[40:54] We want to know what's on your mind. We want to answer your questions from God's word too. So please, don't come to church thinking that you have to remain silent. You are welcome here, your questions are welcome, and we want to tell you about Christ, what he has done for you and how you can become his child too.
[41:14] Finally, I want to close with this passage from Ephesians chapter four, verses one through six. Again, on this idea of unity within the congregation.
[41:25] Paul says this, as a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.
[41:36] Be completely humble and gentle. Be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.
[41:49] There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
[42:07] Let's pray, church. Father, I thank you, Lord, that for all the believers that are here, Lord, you have unified us in Christ Jesus.
[42:29] We are all saved by the same sacrifice, by the same sinless Savior, and I pray that that would be what unifies us as a church. And Lord, I pray for the mature believers that are here. Lord, I pray that all of us would recognize that we're never done growing.
[42:44] We've never reached a point where we stop maturing. But Lord, I pray that we would look on with patience, with understanding, and with encouragement to those that are new in their faith.
[42:57] Lord, I pray that the mature here would take these believers under their wings, that they would teach them how to study God's word, how to follow you faithfully. Lord, for the new believers that are here, I pray that they would continue to grow.
[43:11] Lord, I pray that they would continue to seek you, to fall more in love with you, that they would continue to marvel and enjoy Christ. And I pray that they would also be willing to seek out those believers that would be willing to invest in their lives.
[43:27] Lord, that they would be active in your church. Lord, that they would grow in their knowledge, in their faith, but also, Lord, in the way that they live for you. Lord, I pray also for those that are unbelievers that are here today.
[43:44] Lord, I pray that they would come to a realization of what Jesus has done for them. Lord, I pray that they would know that Christ has come to save them from their sins, that they would believe that, that you would call them to repentance, Lord, that your spirit would perform that regenerative work in their lives, and that they would start this journey of sanctification.
[44:07] And Lord, I pray that you would be exalted and glorified in our relationships, in the way that we interact with each other, Lord, that we would seek to exalt Christ in every way. Lord, I pray for all these things in Jesus' name.
[44:19] Amen.